Eze CHUKWUEMEKA
@ezechukwuemeka
1 year ago
The Housemaid
Episode One
It is now two years since Neche arrived Lagos to live with Aunti Chisom. She left the village when she completed her junior secondary school and she was surposed to proceed to senior secondary. She was thirteen and she was the smartest girl in her class, having taken first position right from JSS1.
If there was anything that Neche loves doing, it was schooling, because she knew that was the only way to rescue her poor mother from poverty. Her father was late and her mother only manages to pay her school fees even in government schools that are not expensive.
Feeding and clothing was a problem too, but her mother does her best. It was just that they never had enough as sometimes, they sleep without knowing where their next meal will come from.
So it was concluded that she would go to Lagos and live with Aunti Chisom who was expected to help in raising her in the proper way and to also put her through school. This would relive her mother of the stress, but in return, Neche would be her housemaid.
There was a strong promise that she would be allowed to continue her education in Lagos and no one had expected that anything bad would happen to her.
“I know you will not allow my child to suffer. She is your own child too. Please take care of her.” Njide, Neche’s mother had pleaded with her sister Chisom.
“I promise! You will not regret giving your daughter to me. I know you are doing me a huge favour and I will repay you back by making sure that Neche attends the best schools with my own children. I will even train her up to university level.” Aunti Chisom had promised Njide.
Aunti Chisom and Njide share the same parents. Aunti Chisom married a very rich husband and they both live in Lekki, but Njide’s husband who was a bus driver died years ago when he was involved in a road accident. Since then, she had refused to remarry.
“You know she is my only child. Please my sister don’t disappoint me.” Njide once again pleaded with Chisom before she left Enugu with Neche.
“I promise you my sister. Don’t worry yourself.” Aunti Chisom responded back then.
Two years has passed since these promises were made. Indeed, Lagos has become a second hell for Neche. She is not going to school and her mates in the village are now in SS2. Aunti Chisom has refused to register her in school, even if it is government school. Aunti Chisom’s four children attend the best school in Lekki where school fees is N2 million per term. But instead of school, Neche has become a hawker. She has been hawking zobo for the past two years.
It is not that Aunti Chisom actually needs the money from zobo and Neche has often wondered why she is forced into hawking instead of school.
“Her husband is rich. She is also a director in the ministry of works. They have everything money can buy. I just don’t know why I’m hawking if it is not wickedness.” Neche’s thought would often wander.
Neche is now fifteen and she has grown physically. She has started seeing her monthly visitor and she often uses her old clothes cut into pieces as pad since no one ever cares about her or to give her money for such things. She was begining to be aware of herself as a woman and she knows that time was running fast. Her education and future was hanging in the balance and this gives her sleepless nights.
“I wish I can just go back to the village. Even if it means managing life with my mother. I don’t know what I’m doing here, just suffering everyday.” Neche said to herself one day when she had taken a break from hawking to rest under a tree. She came out that day with N5,000 worth of zobo but she was only able to sell ten bottles so far, so she took a break to rest because the sun was so hot and it made her sick.
“One day, I will just collapse and die under the sun. I don’t even know why I’m still alive. I feel like taking my own life.” Neche was talking to herself under the tree. That day, she had gone to hawk at Obalende. There was so much holdup, yet people were not buying her cold zobo like before. If she goes home with unsold zobo, Aunti Chisom with beat her and make her starve for two days, so she had to find a way to finish selling the remaining ones.
“Let me go and hustle again. It’s already 2pm. God please, help me today.” Neche said as she left the shade of the tree.
A man who was driving in a Toyota Landcruiser SUV called Neche. As usual, she rushed with speed to sell zobo to him.
“How much is your zobo per bottle?” The man asked. The man is very young, probably in his late 20s.
“It’s N200 per bottle sir. However, if you are buying six bottles, I will give you a discount of N200, meaning you will only pay N1000 instead of N1200. I make the zobo myself and I can assure you it was produced in a very hygeinic environmment and it is healthy for your body too.” Neche said with very clean English. The young man in the car was impressed by her confidence and marketing talent. He smiled at her.
Soon, the holdup started to move and the man drove forward and this made Neche to run and follow the car. The young man appeared ready to buy and Neche does not want to lose the business. The holdup continued to move and the man was still trying to talk to her and to navigate the tight road. Stopping for too long would mean that other motorists would yell at him to move, so he continued driving forward.
When Neche eventually caught up with him, he opened the car door and asked her to hop in and she did.
When Neche entered the car, the air conditioner in it cooled her body and for the first time in years, she felt like a human being.
“Oh my God! Is this the heaven you spoke about in the Bible?” Neche asked. Her voice was audible and the young man heard her.
“Why did you say that?” The man asked.
“I was feeling sick under the sun. So, the freezing temperature in the car relieved me.” She answered.
“Oh! That’s fine. You speak so well. Do you go to school?” The man asked. The car has gone far from Obalende as they drove towards Lekki Toll Gate.
“I don’t go to school. I used to go to school, but I stopped since I arrived Lagos. This is what I do for my Aunti.” Neche went on to narrate her ordeal in Lagos to the man who has now introduced himself as Richard. Their conversation became very interesting such that she did not feel like leaving the car again.
“I want to take you to your house and drop you off.” Richard said.
“No sir. My Aunti will kill me if she sees me with a man. In fact, I have to go back to Obalende to finish selling the zobo or I will be made to starve for two days. Sir please are you still buying the zobo?” Neche asked.
“Wow! Why would your Aunti starve you for having a bad business day? You know what, just load the entire thing in my boot. Now, here is N50,000 for you. Give part of it to your Aunti, then keep the rest for yourself.” Richard said.
Neche was so happy that she jumped and hugged Richard who was trying to park the car for her to leave. He eventually found a space and parked and she came down.
That day turn out to be her best business day. As Richard drove off, she counted the money carefully and removed N45,000 for herself while she gave the remaining one to Aunti Chisom when she got home.
But, apart from the money, Neche discovered that Richard put his complimentry card in the envilope of Naira notes he gave to her. It contained his address and phone number and there is a note on it which said “please come to the address on this card and see me tomorow by 10am.”
Neche slept that night thinking if she should visit Richard or not.
"Visiting a stranger in this Lagos could be dangerous. God please guild my heart and actions." Neche prayed as she slept off.
Watch out for episode two
